St. Gregory the Great Pastoral Parish Council Meeting Minutes April 10 th, 2018 Present: Barb Wilk, Margaret Casey, Donna Higgins, Marge Fischer, Randy Green, Yolande Lasky, Tom Molinski, Patti Penkalski, Fr. Tom Demse, Mike Esser, and Barb Freuck. Absent: Michelle Konkel and Mary Gentile. The council meeting started at 7:05 P.M. Minutes of the March 13 th, 2018 meeting were approved as amended. Fr. Tom s Time: First Communion weekend will be April 21 st & 22 nd, 2018. April 29 th, 2018 will be adult Confirmation at the 10:00 A.M. Mass. May 20 th, 2018 (Pentecost Sunday) will be the Youth Confirmation at St. Gregory the Great with teens from Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Greg s. The Mass will be at 2:00 P.M. with Bishop Jeffrey Haines. June 6 th, 2018 will be graduation day at 6:30 P.M. for our eighth graders. On September 8 th, 2018 Tim Waldoch will be ordained as a deacon at the cathedral. He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at the 4:00 P.M. Mass on September 8 th, 2018 at St. Greg s. A reception for Deacon Tim will take place later in the year due to the parish festival being the same weekend. Fr. Colon of our sister parish, Our Lady of the Highest Grace in Azua, Dominican Republic will be visiting St. Greg s the weekend of September 23/24 for his annual mission appeal. Two new telephones have been installed (one in the sacristy and one in the usher room). These telephones have only outgoing ability. Patti Penkalski Updates:
The budget looks good as we head toward the end of the fiscal year. The exterior doors will be numbered. This project was not included in the current budget but will be done. Having the doors numbered will make it easier for the police and fire department in an emergency. The 2018-2019 budget was approved. No staffing changes, flooring in library and flooring at the handicapped entrances are in the new budget. Also, LED lights will be installed in the school. Budget planned for 250 students. Commission Reports Worship: Barb Freuck Church looked very nice for the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. The Arts & Environment committee did a very good job of having everything ready for the celebration of Easter. The decorations (flowers) will continue to be displayed in church until they start dying off and then they will be restructured as the numbers of plants dwindle. The Easter flowers will remain in church for the celebration of First Communion the weekend of April 21 st and April 22 nd. The removal of the final Easter decorations will take place during the week after Confirmation Sunday, May 20 th, 2018, which is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. It should be noted that the Eucharist is again being distributed in the form of both the bread and the wine. It started up again on Palm Sunday. Eucharistic ministers are being encouraged to use the sanitizers that are available to them at the table where the cups are placed during Mass. As noted in earlier minutes, the spring planting around the church grounds will take place on Saturday, May 26 th, 2018 starting at 8:00 A.M. All parishioners are invited to come and help do the planting. The more hands the less time it takes to get the planting accomplished. There continues to be a need for recruiting Eucharistic ministers, ushers and lectors. If parishioners feel that they would be interested in any of these positions, they should contact Cindy Bremeier in the parish office. Sometimes
just a kind word from a current church minister is enough to interest someone into checking out the opportunities to service our parish community. The parish is in need of funeral acolytes. We have 3 adults left who are trained for this ministry. Cindy has trained 5 8 th graders to help serve at Funeral masses (which are held during the school day). Formation: Jo Therese Fahres & Michelle Zakula There are 37 families registered for the Lighthouse Program. This program is held on two Sundays a month from September to May. Also, the school children help to prepare the Masses for the school Masses (which are held on Thursday mornings). The children work on the planning and preparation of the homily reflection for each Mass. First Communion weekend is April 22/23 at all Masses. We have 35 children who are excited to be welcomed to the Table of the Lord. Adult Confirmation: Three young adults prepared for Confirmation with Cindy Bremeier from February 1 March 22, 2018. They will be confirmed at the 10 A.M. Mass on April 29 th, 2018. Lent: This Lent a daily reflection book called Not By Bread Alone was used. It included citations from the daily readings and a reflection and suggested activity for personal growth. Bible Study: Bible study was offered at Our Lady of Lourdes both during Advent and Lent. They were both advertised in the SGG parish bulletin. Youth Program: The Acts youth program was renamed IGNITE in July, 2016. Staff and volunteers designed a schedule to meet with Freshman and Sophomores once a
month. In addition to teens being required to do service around the parish and also attend either Don Bosco days in October or the Youth Rally in March (either in their freshman or sophomore years). This would then qualify them to prepare for Confirmation in their Junior year. This year very few teens have been attending IGNITE. Last year when Gail DeFrancisco had her stroke, Cindy Bremeier became the point person for Youth and Eric Scherrer prepared and led the scheduled IGNITE until Eric s work schedule changed his responsibilities and he could no longer help with the IGNITE program. Steve Rice then took over the IGNITE sessions. Three teens attended the Don Bosco days in October, 2017. One teen signed up for the Wisconsin Youth Rally in March, 2018. Eleven juniors are completing their preparation for the Confirmation which is scheduled for 2 P.M. May 20 th, 2018. Confirmation preparation was led by Cindy Bremeier. Classes were twice a month from October-March, which included two service opportunities, a session at St. Mary s in Hales Corners for sponsors and candidates, and a Confirmation retreat, led by Jo Therese Fahres, with the help of several parish adults and Cindy Bremeier. Confirmation will include 10 students from Our Lady of Lourdes and 11 students from St. Gregory the Great. Confirmation will be hosted by St. Greg s with Bishop Jeffrey Haines as the confirming minister. RCIA This year two adult women were prepared for Initiation into the Catholic Church by Cindy Bremeier. Sally Pagel has been preparing since 2016 Jessica Krueger has been preparing since September, 2017 Sally Pagel and Jessica Krueger were baptized, confirmed and received First Communion at the Easter Vigil March 31, 2018 I have also met with a young woman who has completed an inquiry period, and was received as a catechumen in January, 2018. She continues to participate in Sunday dismissals. I have recently met with a woman who is very interested in becoming Catholic. She is baptized in another Christian tradition. Her husband has never been
baptized, and he also has expressed an interest in becoming Catholic. Inquiry period has not yet begun for this couple. Justice and Charity: Mary Gentile St. Vincent DePaul: The SVDP food pantry continues to be open every 1 st & 3 rd Saturday from 10:00 A.M. until Noon. In the month of February, they served 66 households, providing 429 bags of food. They gave $294 to the parish school for emergency clothing and classroom snacks for families unable to provide that. %500 was spent on food for the food pantry. $1500 in donations was received through stewardship, direct donations and the cylinders at the parish exits. To initiate the new SVDP project called Birthday Bags, we received donations from the parish Cub Scouts and the Edgerton Elementary Brownies and Daisy Scouts. SVFP made birthday bags filled with a cake pan, cake mix, sprinkles, candles, plates, napkins and a can of soda to make the Soda Cake Recipe which was on the bag. It was so well received by the clients of SVDP. St. Ben s Meal program: Meals are prepared at St. Greg s and served at St. Ben s on the fourth Wednesday of every month. Bakery can be dropped off from 2-3:15 P.M. at St. Greg s. $4,061.15 was collected in February to keep the program running. In Reach/Out Reach In Reach/Out Reach is looking for more committee members and a chairperson for the committee. We will publicize for that in the upcoming bulletins as well. St. Greg s, led by Barb Brooks, staffed The Gathering meal site at 724 S. Layton Blvd. on Saturday, March 24 th, 2018. We will be collecting hygiene items for the Homeless Veterans of Milwaukee (Milwaukee Stand Down) on May 5/6 after all Masses. Watch bulletin for details. Finance: Tom Molinski and Margaret Casey
The parish will be converting to Quick Books software to maintain the parish finances. The new system will be implemented starting July 1 st, 2018. Pastoral Care: Barb Wilk Ministries to the Sick & Homebound: Ministries to the sick in a local hospital are acknowledged if the parish receives notification. A Call to Serve our Homebound request was placed in the church bulletin to ask for additional volunteers to bring Christ in the Eucharist to our growing homebound population. Nothing additional to report Elder Care, Sunshine Club, Funeral Support. All other pastoral care groups continue as usual. Hospitality and Community Life: Randy Green After 10:00 A.M. Mass on Sunday, April 15 th, 2018 the Hospitality Sunday crew will host a welcome for Sally Pagel and Jessica Krueger (our newly baptized adults from the Easter Vigil). At the last Hospitality Sunday, it was not apparent which group was assisting (the weekend of March 18 th, 2018). I am looking for the list of which group is to assist each weekend, but am not finding it as of yet. A friendly reminder to the next group would be appreciated. The Christian Women s Rummage Sale was apparently a big success! The help with the cleanup that the Boy Scouts provided was greatly appreciated. They could not have done this without the Scouts help. The homemade goods for sale were wonderful. And, the homemade meals provided by the Christian Women for the workers were appreciated. School: Yolande Lasky Meeting Notes-School Commission March 20 th, 2018 Comments from Father Tom: Salaries have been approved for parish and school staff for 2018-19.
A donation has been received to repair the tiles in the library floor. The work will take place over the summer months. The boiler compressor requires replacement at a cost of approximately $2,500. The flooring by the church handicap entrance as well as on the opposite side of the crying room will be replaced. Our audit firm, Reilly, Penner & Benton will clarify the status of the Choice Surplus and the manner in which that must be handled. The Home and School Association has raised $48,000 for new playground equipment. The Archdiocesan assessment has been raised by one half percent. It was noted in a discussion with Father Tom that Mike Gutierrez is working with the Athletic Association to obtain quotes on refinishing the gym floor. Upcoming Events: Easter Break March 30 to April 6, 2018. Classes resume on Monday, April 9 th. The Spaghetti Dinner will be held on April 14, 2018, followed by an auction. Funds raised to be used for the new playground equipment purchase. The Archdiocese has accepted the paperwork submitted for the school s request to be granted Exemplary Recognition in the area of Catholic Identity and School Mission. A team will visit the school on April 11 th, 2018 as part of this process. Principal s Report: Enrollment update: Currently 257 students. Enrollment for next year is in process. The budget will be set at 250 students. The February Financials and Budget for the 2018-19 school year were reviewed. The 8 th grade students participated in a peaceful walkout, with their teacher and principal, in remembrance of the Florida high school shooting victims. A newspaper is being created to note the Social Justice activities the staff and students have participated in this year.
A discussion regarding building security protocols noted that the role of the School Office in overseeing building security during the school day applies only to the school entrance door. Stewardship: Mike Esser Ministry Fair to be discussed at the upcoming staff meeting on Thursday, April 12 th, 2018. Nominations for Parish Council positions: There are 11 names of people to be contacted regarding possible interest in filling the council positions. Discernment is to be done at the May 8 th, 2018 Pastoral Parish council meeting. The next Deanery meeting is Wednesday, April 25 th, 2018. Closing Notes: Next Pastoral Parish Council Meeting is Tuesday, May 8 th, 2018. Closing prayer for May 8 th, 2018 meeting: Mike Esser. The next Hospitality Sunday is Sunday, April 15 th, 2018 after 8:00 A.M. Mass and 10:00 A.M. Mass. Hospitality and Community Life is the assisting commission for the April Hospitality Sunday. Closing Prayer: Tom Molinski Meeting was adjourned at 7:50 P.M. Minutes submitted by Barb Freuck, Secretary 4-30-2018 St. Greg s pastoral Council Minutes (Meeting 4-10-2018)